Board of Directors & Committees

DFW LeaderSHPE Organization

Since 1981 we have had hundreds of individuals volunteer their time on the SHPE DFW Board of Directors (BOD) & planning committees to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to Junior High, High School and College students from diverse backgrounds.

Chapter Bylaws

Articles of Incorporation

2021-2022 LeaderSHPE Team

This year's SHPE DFW Board of Directors are:

SALENA TORRES

President
president@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

Accentcare, Inc, Program Director

alma mater / degree

Alma Mater/Degree: Case Western Reserve University, BS in Chemical Engineering, Masters in Engineering Management

biography

Salena Torres currently is the SHPE DFW Chapter President and previously served as Vice President and Professional Development Director. She also held multiple leadership SHPE roles during her collegiate times. She is currently on the NTX Council for Girlstart, Inc, a non-profit working to increase the exposure of middle-school girls to STEM through summer camps and after school programs. She also serves on the Diversity and Inclusion Council at her company, Gainwell Technologies, in addition to an ambassadorship to the company to give a voice in the strategy of the company in the DE&I space. She serves as a formal mentor to collegiate students at her alma mater, CWRU through a program called ‘Lideres Avanzando CWRU’ that connects Latino alumni and Latino collegiate students. As an IT Project Manager, she leads high-visibility cross-functional projects across the company to ensure they reach their technological and analytical goals.

ethnicity / background

Ethnicity: Mexican-American
Born: San Antonio, TX
Hometown: Dallas, TX

MIGUEL SOTO

Vice President
vice_president @shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

SHIELD Engineering Group
E.I.T.

Alma mater / degree

University of Texas at Arlington, 2018
B.S. Civil Engineering

Biography

I maneuvered my way through the educational journey until I achieved my dream of becoming an engineer as a first generation student. I grew up in the neighbor cities of Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico and El Paso, Tx until I finished highschool. Right after, I moved to Arlington, Tx and got my Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from UT Arlington in 2018. Now as a full time engineer, I have the the ability to give back to SHPE and help other students accomplish their career goals just as other SHPE folks helped me when I was a student. It feels great seeing future engineers achieve their goals and launch their professional careers, it reminds me of my personal struggle of going through college leading the way as a first generation student! I feel privileged being selected as an officer for the SHPE DFW Professional Chapter since it will give me the opportunity to help those in need and become a role model for future generations.

ethnicity / background

Ethnicity: Mexican
City Born In: Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico
Hometown: El Paso, TX

GABINO HERNANDEZ

Secretary
secretary@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

L3HARRIS
Structural Engineer Specialist

alma mater / degree

Universtiy of Texas at Austin, 2011
B.S. Civil Engineering

biography

Gabino Hernadez is currently the SHPE DFW CHapter Secretary and previously served as Professional Development Director. He was born in Laredo Tx and lived in several other cities thorughout the state. While at the University of Texas at Austin, Gabino held various officer positions in both, SHPE-UT and Equal Opportunity in Engineering Office. He began working for L3Harris a year after graduating and has been a structural engineer for 10 years. He specializes in large fuselage modifications and reinforcement for a variety of aircraft types. In his free time Gabino likes to explore DFW with his wife Karina and their dog Dorothy or catch up on a tv series while relaxing at home.

Ethnicity / Background

Ethnicity:
Born: Laredo, Tx
Hometown: Laredo, Tx

ABISAI JUAN

Treasurer
treasurer@shpe-dfw.org

employer / title

SHIELD Engineering Group
Graduate Engineer

alma mater / degree

University of Texas at Arlington, 2018
B.S. Civil Engineering

biography

My name is Abisai Juan and I am a Civil, Graduate Engineer at Shield Engineering Group
in Fort Worth. I was born and raised in Mexico until the age of six and moved to the United
States where I went to elementary, middle, and high school. I graduated December of 2018
from the University of Texas at Arlington with my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.
Through my undergraduate years, I was part of various organizations one of which was SHPE.
Through SHPE I’ve meet some of my closest friends and obtained valuable lessons that have
impulse my career. Now, as part of the BOD for SHPE DFW, I plan to continue learning and
growing both professionally and personally. Being the first one in my family to graduate with an
engineering degree and the first one to go to college has come with its challenges. Thanks to
SHPE I was able to grow, and I wish to reach out to other professionals who went through a
similar situation to show future generations and undergrads that anything is possible.

Ethnicity / background

Ethnicity: Mexican
Born: Mexico
Hometown: Mexico

AGELA DURAN

Marketing Director
marketing@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

Lockheed Martin
Program Management and Planning Operations

alma mater / degree

B.S. in Finance Degree- University of Texas at Arlington
M.S. Engineering Management- SMU

biography

Angela Duran is the Marketing Director for SHPE DFW Chapter and previously served as Secretary. She graduated the University of Texas at Arlington with a B.S. in Finance. During her time at UTA, she held various leadership roles in organizations. She is currently pursuing an M.S in Engineering Management at Southern Methodist University. As a member of the BOD for SHP DFW, she plans to help promote leadership development and help early career students to help accomplish their goals.

Ethnicity / Background

Ethnicity: Colombian-American
Born: Fort Worth, TX
Hometown: Fort Worth, TX

JONATHON MONTEZ CERDA

Public Relations Director
partnerships@shpe-dfw.org

Employer/Title

Sysdig
Cloud Sales Engineer

Alma mater / degree

University of North Texas

Biography

Jonathon is a servant leader who is passionate about helping underrepresented communities with STEM enablement, and leadership development. He is currently focusing on helping students that are enrolled in University curriculum and those who are looking to transition to the tech industry from traditional engineering roles

Ethnicity / background

Ethnicity:
Born:
Hometown:

DANALI SANCHEZ

Membership Director
membership@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

USAA
Sofware Engineer

alma mater / degree

University of Texas at Arlington
B.S. Software Engineering, 2017
M.S. Computer Science, 2018

biography

Danali .

Ethnicity / Background

Ethnicity:
Born in:
Hometown:

BRYAN GUERRERO

Professional Development Director
professional_development@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

Lockheed Martin
Systems Engineer

alma mater / degree

University of North Texas
B.S. Biomedical Engineering

biography

Bryan received his degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Texas in 2018. Bryan began his professional career at the automation company, Oriental Motor, as a Sales Engineer in 2018 working with a multitude of companies to provide automation solutions and products. He then began his current position as a Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin in 2020. He has been a SHPE member since his highschool years at his SHPE Jr. Chapter at Ryan Highschool and later joining the SHPE Chapter at the University of North Texas. Bryan joined SHPE DFW in 2019 as a GLEDA member and served as the GLEDA program Manager in 2021.

Ethnicity / Background

Ethnicity:
Born in:
Hometown:

STEPHANIE FIGUEROA

Community Outreach Director
community_outreach@shpe-dfw.org

Employer / title

Lockheed Martin
Software Engineer

alma mater / degree

B.S. Computer Science- Universit of Texas at El Paso, 2019
M.S. Computer Science- Universit of Texas at El Paso, 2021

biography

Stephanie joined SHPE DFW in 2021 as a GLEDA member and has served in the fundraising committee prior to her position as Community Outreach Director. In this role she hopes to expand the chapter's reach within the DFW metroplex. She is specifically focused on the execution of enrichment events for young and aspiring STEM professionals.

Ethnicity / Background

Ethnicity:Mexican-American
Born: El Paso, Tx
Hometown: El Paso,Tx